The Lost Properties of Fire
by Kesra-Kyse
Summary: Zuko and Azula have been rivals for as long as either can remember. Zuko decides it's time to try to step up as the older brother but in the process Azula doesn't quite make it home. Can they repair the damage they've spent their lives causing one another?
1. Prologue

_"Your friends don't even really like you anyways!" Zuko could remember shouting at her. "Mai's just bored and Ty Lee just feels sorry for you! No one likes you! You're annoying and mean! You hurt people and you don't even really care. You're just a little monster!"_

_But in that moment, he saw something in his little sister's eyes he had never seen before. Her tiny jaw set as she turned to run away. Zuko started to storm back in to the castle, already regretting what he had said. Azula had been annoying him all day. At least since his mother had made him play with her in the garden. He hadn't been too happy about this assignment but what Mother said, went. He paused half way to the doorway and sighed. He had gone too far. It didn't matter how awful Azula was to him. He shouldn't have said that. He turned to look for her but she was hidden from sight. He ran forward, looking for her. He listened for giggling or shifting. Part of him expected crying._

_But nothing._

_Ursa made her way in to the courtyard, seeing Zuko standing there helpless._

_"What's wrong Zuko?"_

_"It's Azula! She was here a second ago but now she's gone!"_

_"You're sure she's not hiding?"_

_"I'd have heard her or something by now!"_

_"We'll split up and look for her."_

_The two of them started to look through the coutyard. Guards quickly joined in the search. Zuko made his way toward the pond. Below he could see what looked like strands of ink swirling about._

_"Azula! Mom! I found her!" He quickly reached down to take one of his sister's tiny hands. His boots sunk in to the thick mud at the edge of the pond. He pulled as hard as he could. As he was tugging, he could see her pale face turned to the surface of the water. Her amber eyes caught the sunlight and for just a moment he thought he saw __sadness..._

* * *

"Zuko..." Katara's voice came from behind him. Her long dark hair was loose about her shoulders. Her hand came up to lightly rest on his shoulder. "We've been searching for days. She isn't here."

"No. We have to keep looking. I can't just give up on her!" Zuko stepped forward toward the shore. He scanned the surface of the water. His clothes were tattered and his skin was covered in grime. His lips were cracked by the salty sea air and he could feel the sunburn on his cheeks and shoulders. He could hear Katara take a deep breath behind him.

"Zuko...I hate to be the one to say this but..." Katara started. Zuko held up his hand.

"Katara, don't." Zuko answered, walking forward in to the water once again. He looked ahead. Aang was slowing to a halt, landing on top of a rock peeking up from the water. Toph was laying back on the beach, the tops of her feet sunburned. Looking behind him, he could see the dark circles under Katara's eyes.

They had all been searching for days without any sleep. They had been combing the shore, the surrounding water, and everything around them looking for a girl that had once tried to kill each of them. He knew they weren't doing it for her. They were doing it for him.

"Tell...Everyone to come in. If she made it...she's not here anymore." Zuko gave a heavy sigh, his eyes looking to the water. He could almost see those amber eyes glowing up at him with that strange, sad look to them. His hands came up to his temples. There was a sinking feeling in his gut...One he wasn't ready to discuss with anyone.

"Zuko..are you okay?" Katara asked. There was more than a touch of concern in her voice. "If you want to-"

"No. I'll take the war balloon back. You guys go on ahead. I need some time to myself."

"If you're sure..."

"I am." He heard Katara start to walk away. "Katara?"

"Yes?" He heard her voice become hopeful.

"Thanks for trying...Tell the others I appreciate it..."


	2. Ember

_It was surprisingly bright down here. Azula looked up to the surface of the water. The light filtered in yellow through the green water. There were shouts outside. She could just barely hear them. Once again her tiny foot kicked. She was caught on something. A tree root? Fencing? She really couldn't be sure. It grew dark quickly under the water it would seem. The shadows of the rocks didn't help that situation._

_She brought a tiny hand toward the surface. To splash or make some kind of indication she was there. But she was unable to truly disturb the water. Tiny waves came from her frantic struggles. Her chest started to burn as she exhaled a little of her air. She wouldn't last much longer. She was old enough to know that people could die but not quite old enough to know what that means. She was too young to realize that anyone could die. Even a little girl that fell in the pond._

_Her vision was starting to darken when a small shadow passed over the water. She could hear it shouting. What was it saying. Another bubble escaped her and then her last gulp of air. She watched as a hand just barely bigger than her own broke through the surface of the water. It took cold of her hand and held on as tightly as it could manage. It started to tug as hard as it could._

_You can't save me. Some voice in the back of her head mused. Even now as you pull with all your might...You just can't save me._

_But thanks for trying..._

_A larger shadow eclipsed the smaller only to try to pull her out as well. The last thing she heard before blacking out completely was the sound of a larger body hitting the water._

* * *

The first sensation Azula was fully aware of the sharp dryness of her throat. Even as she tried to swallow to moisten it, there were sharp pains. It was then she started to notice the harsh light as well. An aching arm came up to shield her eyes behind her eyelids as she slowly sat up. All she could recognize were the various aches throughout her body. Her hair fell over her face, not in the matted mess she remembered but rather soft locks. Her eyes opened to peer through them only to see a man sitting in front of her.

He was an old man, getting on in his years. He was thin but still managed a healthy posture. His long white hair was tied back with a white pointed beard on his chin. The white hair contrasted with his dark skin. What drew her attention the most however were his eye. They were of the clearest blue she had ever seen. One of his eyebrows raised as he looked over her. A calloused hand came forward to push her hair out of her face.

Without thinking about it, Azula leaned back, narrowing her eyes at him. The hand moved from her hair to her lower right eyelid to tug it down a bit as if to check on her eye. Seemingly satisfied, he held up his hand.

"Don't speak. You've been out for days. You are still recovering from the salt water." He offered her a cup that looked like half of a gourd full of water. She took it in both hands looking down to it. She swished it around the gourd before bringing it to her nose to smell of it.

"Don't be silly, child. If I wanted to poison you I would have done so by now." He sighed, moving to stand. He crossed the room to get a pitcher. He set it on the table beside her. Azula brought the cup up to her lips to take a deep drink. After a moment, his hands came up to pull the cup away.

"Don't drink it like that. You'll get sick. Take small, careful sips. I don't want you choking on me." He released her hands. She glared up at him as she took a small, careful sip as instructed. The water felt wonderful as it rushed through her throat. After several of these, she brought it down to rest in her lap.

"There you go. Now when you catch your breath, take another drink. I had a look at you. Pretty thing. Except for those scars on your wrists. I can see those aren't recent. can you recall much? Your name? Where you came from? You look like Fire Nation to me."

Azula looked up at the man, confused. Where was she and how far away was the Fire Nation? His inability to recognize her would of course need to be corrected. That is unless...

Unless...She didn't have to be Azula anymore. Was Zuko looking for her? Did he even know what happened to her?...Did it matter to him? She recalled the wreck now. The smoke filling her chambers. The Northern Water Tribe girl forcing her way through the door before it all went down. There wasn't really any reason to assume that they would know she survived. Even Azula had been certain that she was going to die. She was certain that girl's efforts would have been wasted.

But she was right here. And officially, Azula might be considered dead. Why not let Azula die? Quickly taking advantage of this, she shook her head no.

"You don't remember? Well I'm going to have to figure something out to call you, aren't I? Hmmmm." He looked around the room, his eyes settling on the coals in the hearth. "You're a Fire Nation girl. Why not...Ember?"

Azula considered it for a moment before nodding.

"Alright then Ember. Get some rest. If you're going to stay here a while, you're going to learn to do some chores."

Chores?


	3. The Lone Prince

_The halls were strangely empty for this time of day. Zuko supposed Mother had told the servants not to bother with this portion of the palace. She wanted space. Zuko paced outside of Azula's room. The look in her eyes just moments before Mother jumped in to rescue her seemed burned in to his mind. It had a very strange...peace. With a heavy sigh, he leaned back against the wall across from the door and slid down the wall to watch it. He watched the shadows underneath the door between his feet._

_Azula hadn't been awake when she was pulled out of the water. She had seemed almost lifeless. Zuko felt a tightness in his chest from seeing his little sister like a rag doll in Mother's arms. But if she hadn't made it...he would know by now wouldn't he? Zuko knew what dead meant. It meant they were gone and they wouldn't be coming back. Was Azula gone forever? Would the last words he said to her be that she's a monster?_

_He soon lost track of time and eventually his head lulled forward as he dozed off. He awoke later that night when hearing the sound of footsteps heading down the hall. Zuko opened his eyes in time to see the dark crimson robes of his father. He quickly scrambled to his feet and bowed._

_"What are you doing out here?" Came Ozai's voice. Zuko finally looked up at his father. His expression was hard at first but then softened. "It is unbecoming of a prince to sleep in the hallway."_

_"Yes Father. I was just worried about Azula." Zuko answered softly._

_"I just received word that she's going to be fine. Better than if you hadn't found her so quickly." Ozai gave the very slightest of smiles. It always looked just a little strange on an otherwise stern face. "It's late. You need to get to bed."_

_"Yes Father." Zuko bowed again respectfully. "If...you're going in there would you ask Mother to come see me?"_

_He could see Ozai's expression harden just slightly._

_"I will let her know. Go to bed."_

_Zuko nodded quickly and started to walk briskly down the hall to his bedroom. He heard the door open and close to Azula's room. As he entered his room, he closed the door behind him and moved to flop on to his bed._

_Father had in his own way expressed pride in one of Zuko's actions. Rather than the warm uplifting this was usually associated with, his stomach merely sank. If he hadn't been so mean to her, she wouldn't have almost died. He heard the door open behind him._

_"Zuko? Are you okay?" Came the sweet voice of his mother. He sat up to look at her. There was a soft frown in her features. "You've been crying."_

_Ursa crossed the room and sat on the edge of his bed. Zuko crawled toward her and rested his head in her lap. He could feel her fingers moving through his hair._

_"It's okay, my love. Azula will be fine. She's just resting now."_

_"Mom...it's my fault."_

_"What is, Zuko?"_

_"It's my fault she wound up in there. She was really getting on my nerves so...so I yelled at her and made her run off. And then she wound up in the pond and...Mommy I'm so sorry!" His shoulders shook against the side of her leg. Her hand left his hair to rest on the other one._

_"Shhh... You couldn't have known this would happen. It's okay. Azula will be up and about again soon. Sit up, son."_

_Zuko did as he was told. He sat on the edge of his bed while Ursa came to kneel in front of him. A long graceful hand gently took hold of his chin._

_"I know that she can be difficult to handle but you need to be more careful with her. She told me what you said...and I know you didn't mean it."_

_"I didn't Mom! I swear!"_

_"I know...But you're her big brother. She's more fragile than you realize and some day she's going to need her big brother to protect her. Some day, your father and I will be gone and you will only have eachother left."_

_Zuko tilted his head to the side. Even as young as Azula was, she was already showing signs of being skilled in Fire Bending in ways that Zuko couldn't begin to grasp. It was like they had both received the same game but she had all of the instructions._

_"I don't think I can, Mom. She's already so much better than me at everything she does. And she loves to brag about it. It's like Father only notices me when she's not around."_

_"My darling, there is so much you don't understand yet. Have faith in yourself. You're stronger than you know. The day will come when she needs her big brother more than anyone else in the world. Promise me you will be there when she needs you."_

_"Okay Mom. If you think I can do it. I promise."_

_"You won't let me down. I know it." Ursa smiled up at him before lifting herself to kiss his forehead._

* * *

These past days had been excruciating. Zuko sat in his study leaning back in his chair. His eyes kept coming up to the family portrait that had been painted shortly after Azula learned to walk.

_Some day, your father and I will be gone and you will only have each other left._

But he didn't even have that now, did he? It had been three days since Azula's airship went down and despite the continued searching, no evidence either way has been found. According to reports, she had been bound and chained to the floor in a cell off of the cargo bay. Those hadn't been his instructions but they didn't seem to know what to expect from her. Certainly they didn't expect it to go down.

There were dark circles beneath Zuko's eyes. He hadn't slept much since the wreck. Or eaten. The servants nervously skittered around him, concerned they would disrupt his mourning. He had been wearing white since that day, seldom speaking to anyone at all.

He was pulled out of this stupor of his by voices outside of his study.

"Thanks for coming. I know things have been awkward between us since..." He heard Suki outside. Even in these past two years since the Yu Dao conflict she has remained to keep an eye on Zuko's security.

"No...It's fine. I'm glad you sent me a message. So he's not come out at all?" He heard a man's voice. A familiar one. He didn't really care enough to try to identify it however.

"No...He's been in there for almost three days now. He barely eats or drinks. He's been silent the last couple of days. I'm really worried about him."

"I'll see if I can talk to him."

"Sokka, you're the best."

The door opened and a very familiar face peeked in. He looked over to Zuko who barely acknowledged his presence.

"Zuko...you look terrible." Sokka frowned.

"I didn't ask you." Zuko growled. His voice was hoarse. Sokka stopped by a small table and poured him a cup of water. He walked over to the desk and set it in front of him before moving to the window. He pulled back the heavy drapes to let sunlight in.

"I thought Fire Benders hate being out of the Sunlight?" Sokka commented, opening the window.

"Leave me alone, Sokka."

"Get up. You're changing and coming outside."

"You can't tell me what to do in my own palace."

"Sure I can. Now come on. Let's move."

Sokka wouldn't shut up until Zuko was dressed in his normal robes of state and out in the sun. Zuko had to admit the sun felt nice. The two of them walked toward the gardens. Zuko stopped in covered path looking over to the pond.

"I keep expecting to see her you know...Hiding somewhere. Waiting to jump out at me to startle me and the laughing when she succeeds."

"Hey I'm not one to judge. She could be pretty scary when she wanted to.."

"She shouldn't have been in that facility all that time. She should have been here. I should have been taking care of her. Maybe if I had tried helping her sooner...I could have saved her."

"Zuko, stop doing this to yourself. It isn't going to bring her back."

"I was her older brother. I was supposed to-"

"Protect her?"

"Yeah..."

"Because that's what big brothers do. I was told the same thing once before Dad left during the war. It's a lot of pressure because no matter what happens to her, it'll always feel like you were to blame." Sokka shrugged. "It's hard."

"You and Katara are perfect compared to us." Zuko muttered, walking out in to the garden. Sokka followed.

"Not really. She and Aang are still in that lovey dovey phase. There's all kind of oogie with them. Even when Suki and I were dating we weren't that bad."

"You guys were pretty bad."

"We were in love! But that's not the point. Fact is you can't prevent everything that happens to someone so important to you. And even when you know that...You still blame yourself every time they get hurt."

"That's not helpful at all."

"Yeah. I guess not. But there's a story they tell in the Southern Water Tribe. It's about a pair of sisters. On the night they were born, their father had been out in the wilderness where he found a sapphire the size of his thumb nail. He brought it home to find he now had two beautiful daughters. He had the sapphire broken in half and part of it was worn on a necklace by each of them. They were close though they fought from time to time like all kids do. One day, one of the sisters fell ill...and she didn't make it. Her sister was devasatated. Their father brought the surviving sister the other half of the sapphire. So much in anger however, she cast both halves in to the ocean.

"Then the Ocean spirit appeared. It told her that no one is ever truly gone and that now that her sister was no longer part of this world, it was her duty to live for the both of them. The ocean gave her the sapphire back now made whole and for the rest of her days, the sapphire would glow softly."

"That's a terrible story. Her sister died." Zuko growled, leaning back against one of the pillars. His head turned quickly thinking he heard something. But nothing was there.

"I don't think that's the point. It's a story the elder tells when one of us dies. I think it's supposed to be a way we keep close to those we lose."

"Yeah well it doesn't make things any better." Zuko folded his arms in front of him.

"Well you just have to find a way to live for the both of you. It's not going to be easy." Sokka shrugged.

"Nothing is ever easy for me."

"I'd be kind of worried if this paticular thing was. You'll find a way to move forward again. And you still have all of us. I'll stick around a few weeks...Okay?"

"Do what you want. I don't care." Zuko started to make his way down the pathway. His foot nearly slipped however on a loose tile. He could see a flash of green underneath. Blinking a few times, he knelt down to remove the tile. He pulled out a small Earth Kingdom doll.

"Boy. That doll has seen better days. Who set her on fire? You?"

"No...It was Azula. She must have hidden this a while ago. I don't get why she kept it then."

"Well let's see if she hid anything else."

There was nothing else in the hiding place. He replaced the tile looking down to the scortched doll. Why did she hold on to this? And what else could she have hidden here?

Maybe it was possible for Zuko to live for the both of them but for the first time, he realized he didn't actually know anything about her. With a new goal, Zuko clutched the doll tightly and walked toward the palace with purpose. Straight to Azula's old room.

((Okay I know Ozai seems a bit odd. I do believe he was at one point a loving father but he just lost sight of that. In my head, Zuko and Sokka have this epic bromance going so I'm gonna continue with that XD. Also no, Azula has not lost her memory. She's just pretending. She sees the chance to not have to be herself and she's taking it. But can she ever really be like other girls?))


	4. The Chicken Lord

_"Watch your sister, Zuko! She's amazing!" Izain beamed as Azula came to the final stance in the form. Her chin lifted to see Zuko standing next to their instructor. His eyes were narrow as he looked down to his sister and his arms crossed over his chest. Azula couldn't help but smile. "I think that's enough for today."_

_Izain walked around the two of them, giving the end of his lesson. The royal children stood up straight and proud, just as father told them to. It was the same thing. The same drills they were supposed to go over. The same breathing to keep in mind._

_"Now, what are the three requirements for fire, Zuko?" Izain suddenly stated. Zuko fidgeted for a moment. She knew he hated it when he was asked questions like this._

_"Well uh...Master they're... um... Heat. And Fuel and..." It was apparent his memory had failed him at this point._

_"The three requirements for fire are heat, fuel, and air." Azula stepped up. Zuko shot a glare at her. She continued. "These same requirements are important for a Fire Bender. Heat is our ambition. Our drive to succeed. Our fuel is our anger and our passion for our nation. The air is the will to exercise our powere for without it, our flames are snuffed out."_

_"Excellent! Azula you are a prodigy indeed!"_

_"Thank you, Master. I do my best." Azula grinned and stepped back in line._

_"It won't be too long before your father takes over your training." Izain beamed. Azula could feel Zuko tense beside her. Zuko was supposed to receive training from their father first but his tendency to try to rush through the basics made his bending sloppy. She was progressing far quicker than he. "You two are dismissed."_

_Azula and Zuko bowed before going in to the hallway._

_"I knew the answer you know." Zuko growled walking beside his sister._

_"If you knew the answer, I wouldn't have had to give the rest of it. You always forget air you know." Azula didn't try to sound any less smug. "So Dad is going to start training me soon. Isn't that exciting?"_

_"It's my birthright. He should train me first. I'm his heir."_

_"Blah blah blah. All I'm hearing is you think you should get something without earning it. You think it's yours because you were born for it. That's not how it works, Dum Dum."_

_"Yeah? What about you? A natural he says. Born with talent! It's never even hard for you. How is that earning it any more than I did?"_

_"Easy. I practice. You just want to get through the basics to the hard stuff without learning the building blocks. I'm advanced because I work on the basics as much as the advanced stuff."_

_"They just give you more encouragement because you're a girl."_

_"I'm a girl that keeps beating you." Azula stuck her tongue out at him. Zuko started to say something but was interrupted by approaching footsteps._

_"There's Mom!" Zuko smiled._

_"Big deal." Azula glared slightly. Zuko wouldn't see this. He was already running toward their mother._

_"Mom! I want to show you what I learned!" Zuko beamed up to his mother. She smiled to him._

_"Okay. Let me see what you have." Ursa took a step back after hugging her son. Azula walked around to stand beside her, folding her arms in front of her._

_Zuko had the movements down but they were sloppy. His fire was littered with sparks and had no control to them. As he came to the final stance, he landed in a wobbly crouch. As if on cue, Ursa clapped excitedly._

_"You are improving so much, my love." Ursa praised him. Azula pushed forward._

_"Yeah? Well watch this!" Azula started to go through the same form. Her movement was precise and the flames perfectly contained. She landed in a well balanced crouch to look up and see Ursa still crouched in front of Zuko with her hands on his shoulders._

_She couldn't hear what was being said. Her heart sank. Mother didn't even watch. Azula was clearly more talented than Zuko. She practiced everything so hard. But Zuko got her praise? Her jaw set as she turned away._

_"What was it sweety?" She heard Ursa call behind her._

_"Never mind. It wasn't important." She called back, sliding down the wall to wrap her arms around her knees once turning a corner._

* * *

The one thing that had been missing from the facility was the sun. Certainly she had been taken out in to it occasionally but those trips became fewer and fewer as the months past. When Zuko had visited, she hadn't been out in the sunlight for weeks.

Even after that, it had taken a while before she was moved. She didn't know exactly what had happened at the time. Some difficulties regarding her father was all that she would hear about. It didn't matter now. It was almost a year before Zuko decided to arrange the transfer. Now, she was officially dead.

It had been startling news at first. Kaiza, the man who had rescued her, filled her in on what was going on in the world. She was still in the Fire Nation. Princess Azula had tragically met her end in an air ship crasy. The former Fire Lord Ozai had gotten free. Fire Lord Zuko hadn't really said much of anything lately.

Probably rejoicing in the fact he didn't have to deal with her anymore. Must be nice to know the last terrible sparks of evil within one's family were finally stamped out. Ozai's escape explained why she had been stuck in that facility for so long. Had Zuko been closing in on their fatehr when he had her transfered to the palace? She may never know the truth.

"Alright then, Ember." Kaiza spoke as he stepped outside with a bucket. "I'm getting old so it'll be good to have someone young around to do this. Your job will be to herd the pig chickens in to their pen and feed them. Can you handle that?"

"You want me to...herd pig chickens." Azula repeated slowly. Her voice was still hoarse from spending so long not speaking. "That can't be difficult. They're mindless beasts."

"Even so, let me show you how it's done."

"No need. I can figure it out." While the idea of doing chores really didn't appeal to her, the chance to stretch out and do something did. Besides, normal girls did chores didn't they? If a peasant could do it. Certainly she could. She heard Kaiza laugh.

"If you say so, Ember. I'll be inside if you need anything."

As the old man went inside, Azula surveyed the yard before her. There were probably a dozen or so pig chickens. Putting her hand to her chin, she picked up a stick and started to plan out her strategy in the dirt.

* * *

Kaiza walked outside an hour later. It shouldn't have taken her this long to finish the task. He came outside to the smell of smoke and the stampede of pig chickens. Off in the far end of the yard, he could see Ember standing there with both hands alight with blue fire.

"I command you to your pens immediately!" But the fire only frightened the poor creatures. Kaiza shook his head and moved forward to take over.

"The fire was unnecessary." Kaiza sighed pouring tea for himself an Ember.

"I almost had them. Why did you interfere?"

"Because you were traumatizing the livestock." Kaiza answered flatly. "You have to carefully shoo them in to the pen."

"An oversight. It won't happen again." Ember crossed her arms.

"That's right it won't. You're on slop duty from now on. Now eat your fried pig chicken. You went through the trouble of cooking it. May as well not waste it."

**A/N Sorry that took so long. Holidays and such. There will be more to this soon, really but it might take a while. I have a convention coming up I have to work on. I should mention that it's not that Ursa doesn't care how well Azula is doing. It's that she's always getting praise for being so good at what she does. Ursa feels like Zuko could use some encouragement some times too. **


	5. The Dragon Slayer

_"Don't worry princess! I'll save you!" Zuko hoisted his stick in to the air holding a wooden shield with the other._

_"Why do I have to be the princess?" Azula complained. Her tiny arms were tied to her side and loosely around a supporting post of the pier. Her head leaned back as she looked up at the wet planks. "It's filthy down here."_

_"Of course it's filthy. You're in a dragon's lair." Zuko sighed, impatiently. "And you're the princess because well...you're a princess."_

_"This game is stupid. I should be able to free myself. I'm a better Fire Bender than you so what makes you think you could rescue me from a dragon?" Azula leaned her head to the side looking up at Zuko._

_"Oh just play along! I went to your stupid tea party yesterday."_

_"That wasn't a stupid tea party. We were playing Political intrigue. I even let you be the Fire Lord."_

_"I got killed in that game!" Zuko shouted. The game had been going fine up until that point._

_"Yes well you should have seen it coming. Viceroy Kazaa and Chancellor Aref were conspiring all along. The guard's shirt was untucked and your goblet was on the wrong side. The signs were all there." Azula stuck her tongue out at him. It only frustrated him more._

_"Those were just your dolls and no one picks up on stuff like that! How was I supposed to know they were going to poison me?"_

_"Because Chancellor Aref needed to get you out of the way. You were interfering with his land holdings."_

_"That's so stupid!"_

_"Ahem!" A voice came from not very far off. "If you two are done bickering, the dragon has a princess to devour." Uncle Iroh's voice came from underneath the paper and paste dragon mask that rested on his shoulders. He breathed fire through the opening of the mask away from the children. A smaller dragon came to join him. "Protect the princess, Lu Ten. She's apparently our dinner."_

_The smaller 'dragon' moved to stand by Azula. The princess rolled her eyes as Zuko charged forward with the stick. It was a most epic battle in which he was certain his uncle was holding back in combat but Zuko didn't care. This was just for fun right. Eventually he 'slayed' the dragon. Uncle Iroh fell back laughing as Zuko poked his belly a few more times with the stick just to be sure. He looked up to see that Lu Ten and Azula had traded places. Lu Ten let out frustrated growls as he tried to untie his legs from the post. Iroh sat up._

_"Next time, the princess is on my team." Iroh laughed. Azula crossed her arms as Zuko charged toward her._

_"What was that?! I was supposed to rescue you!"_

_"I got bored. Besides, the dragon wasn't very good at guarding prisoners."_

_"She was just so quick!" Lu Ten sputtered. "I looked away for like a second!"_

_"You're not supposed to play that way Azula! You're supposed to be the Princess!"_

_"I was the princess. Now I am the dark queen of the Dragons. Should have kept an eye on me."_

_"You ruin everything!" Zuko threw his sword and stormed off._

Zuko's study was a mess. There were toys and random objects scattered over every surface save for the chairs he and Sokka were sitting in. Sokka leaned back in one of the chairs holding the charred remains of the doll they had found earlier. It had been two weeks since that first stash was uncovered and Zuko was pretty sure it was only the beginning. He and Sokka scoured the palace to find empty panel after rafter stash, after floor panel. There was never anything of monetary value but rather small and occasionally personally things that would be missed.

"I don't think this is helping," Sokka said after a while, placing the doll in his lap. "Your sister was a hoarder. She just took random things and hid them. I don't think there's any reason for it."

"No. She didn't do anything without a reason. These are all pieces of her."

"Kind of looks like some of your stuff." Sokka picked up a toy soldier. "You saved me! My hero!" He made the doll say. The toys were set on a table. Zuko rolled his eyes.

"And mother's...fathers...uncles...Even some things that belonged to Lu Ten." He picked up the blue paper dragon mask used all of those years ago. "She was always so standoffish...but it's kind of like she wanted to be close to us."

"This might be hard to hear Zuko but maybe she was just unstable. It's not healthy to hide things like that. She wasn't exactly the poster child for healthy tendencies. Even when she was sane, she was pretty evil."

"You don't know her. Look, I know Azula did some bad things...A lot of bad things. Okay probably more bad things than most people ever will but she's my sister. Was my sister. A sister I was too wrapped up in my own problems to notice." He picked up an empty perfume bottle. It still held a few droplets of their mother's perfume. "That none of us really noticed."

"Zuko, stop it. You're just beating yourself up for no reason. Maybe you made mistakes...and I'm not sure you did...but you can't keep doing this to yourself. Maybe all of this junk is just that: junk."

"Maybe you're right." Zuko stood and sighed heavily. Sokka moved to stand as well but he simply gestured for him to remain seated. "I need some time to clear my head. Alone." Sokka frowned but nodded.

Sokka's presence had been helpful in this time but sometimes he simply spoke too much. Maybe he was right and everything was just junk. That he was looking for motives behind a sister's actions that he could never truly fathom. Or maybe there was just nothing there and she liked to make a game out of hiding things. He couldn't be sure.

Zuko found himself wandering in to Azula's room. It wasn't the first time since the wreck that he had done so. He had been reluctant to search in here finding plenty of other places throughout the palace. Eventually the room would be used for someone else as it had been for countless royals before Azula. But right now...He just wanted to leave it the way that she did.

The mirrors had all been shattered. The glass had been cleaned out but he hadn't replaced them jst yet. He crossed the room to sit in front of her vanity. A hair brush lay in the floor with a few shards of glass still in it. He picked up the hairbrush. It looked like it had been used to destroy the mirror. He could see the point of impact on the wooden backing for the glass. What caused this? What did she see that made her destroy it?

Looking over he saw a stuffed fire ferret. He picked it up. Viceroy Kazaa... He remembered the name she had given it. This was the one that kept poisoning him at Azula's tea parties.

"Your highness?" A soft, gentle voice came from behind him. He turned his head to look only to see Suki standing there outside of her normal garb as a Kyoshi warrior. It must be her day off or something. "I saw the door open and came to check on the room. Forgive me if I'm intruding."

"No..It's okay...I just needed some time to think."

"Is this...her room?"

"Yeah. Just as she left it."

"Do you want me to leave?" She knelt beside him, wrapping her arms around her knees.

"You can stay. I don't care."

"I always imagined her to be a lot...neater."

"She was. Something just...broke one day I guess."

"That's very sad." Suki looked to the mirror backing. Zuko turned his head to look to her.

"What's sad? That she went crazy?"

"That she had to be alone when she did. She wasn't my favorite person. She was a terrifying person. An elite weapon put in place to keep the rest of the world in line. It's hard to forget sometimes that she was also a young girl. A year younger than me in fact. That for all of her power she was a child. Just like the rest of us were children. Except we all had each other and the only people her age that mattered to her turned on her."

"You don't think she was evil? I thought you hated her."

"Oh I did. But then I saw you have her sent away. Without her armor she looked so small. so alone. She did some terrible things to you and my friends. But at the and of the day, she was playing her part in the war. And after a while...I think that's all she had. I just can't hate her anymore."

"She wouldn't want your pity."

"It's not pity. It's compassion for another human being. She was a terrifying weapon but she was also human. There isn't a lot of point in holding on to the hate and anger from the war. When it ended, she was just another girl caught in it again." Suki rested a hand on his shoulder. "It's not good for you to be in here."

"I guess not." Zuko rose to his feet. Suki followed suit.

"I was planning to challenge Sokka to spar. You should come watch."

"You're just going to embarass him."

"I know. That's the fun part." Suki smiled mischievously. "We might not be dating any more but it's still a lot of fun to watch him squirm."

((So yeah, Suki and Sokka broke it off amicably. I'm really enjoying typing out the childhood stories a lot XD Sorry it took so long. Had a lot on my plate))


	6. The Opal

_The beach was a stone's throw from the house where their family was staying for the summer. Azula and Zuko were making her way down toward the beach late in the afternoon. Azula gave Zuko another glance. He was sulking again._

_Father, Uncle, and Lu Ten were locked away in Father's sitting room telling stories and laughing among themselves. Zuko had been holding out for the hope that they'd invite him to join them but Azula knew better than that. It was so frustrating that Zuko didn't. Not wanting to deal with muffled laughter anymore, she had asked Mother to take her down to the beach. Mother was busy however, working on needlepoint. It was a gift for Grandfather for his birthday and she was already so far behind._

_It became Zuko's job to take her down to the beach. A job he protested in hopes he'd be allowed in the study. He'll get over it, Azula was sure. As they reached the beach there was a group of kids about Zuko's age kicking a ball around. Azula smiled. Now this was more entertaining looking than waiting around the house all day. She broke in to a run only to have Zuko chase after her._

_"Hey!" Azula called out to them. They paused seeing the small girl run up. "Can I play?"_

_A girl looked to her and then looked to Zuko. She picked up the ball and walked toward them._

_"We only have room for one more player to make even teams." She told Zuko, blushing slightly as she did so._

_"Okay! I'll play then!" Azula chimed in. The girl looked to Zuko as if expecting him to want to play instead._

_"Whatever. I don't want to play anyways. One game and then we're going home." Zuko growled. The girl looked crestfallen._

_"Fine. You can play but keep up. We're tied right now. Just do what I say and we might win." The girl instructed her. Azula nodded eagerly. She got in to position and the game started. Azula wasn't bad at it. Not at all. She managed to do as the girl told her but she was never really given an opportunity to do much more than that. Eventually the ball rolled in front of her again. A boy much larger than her dove at her knocking her feet out from under her with his own. Azula felt herself fall back on the sand._

_"Hey! What's the big deal?!" Azula could hear Zuko shouting from the side. Azula held up a hand._

_"It's okay, Zuzu. I'm fine." It was a lie. She had fallen hard on her elbow. It throbbed as she took a ready stance. The action began again and once more the ball came to her._

_"Pass it to me!" The girl shouted. Azula could do that but instead she reared back and kicked the ball at the boy that had run in to her earlier. The ball smacked him in the face making him fall back. Blood could be seen hitting the sand. He sat up and pointed at her._

_"What's wrong with you, you little psycho?! You broke my nose!"_

_"It's just a game." Azula folded her arms rolling her eyes. "If you don't wanna get hurt, don't play." The girl made her way toward her, lightly pushing on her shoulders._

_"What are you...crazy? You aimed for his face! I saw you!"_

_"You're supposed to be on my team!" Azula shouted up at her._

_"No it's my team and you're off it you crazy little brat!" The girl shouted. _

_"Don't push my sister." A voice came from behind her. The girl turned around to see Zuko standing behind her._

_"Did you see what that little monster did?"_

_"I don't care. You don't push my sister!" Zuko shouted at her. Azula looked to her elbow. It was already starting to bruise._

_"Don't bother, Zuzu. Let's just go home." Azula sighed and started making her way back to the house. Zuko jogged to catch up to her. "You didn't have to do that you know."_

_"Sure I did. I'm your big brother." Zuko looked down to her. He noticed the bruising on her arm. "You okay?"_

_"It hurts." Azula growled trying to flex her arm. The two of them started to make their way back up to the house. Mother was standing on the porch when they returned, about to call them in for dinner. She could see the bruising on Azula's arm and rushed toward her._

_"Darling, what happened?" Mother asked, concern evident in her voice. She brought a hand up to tuck Azula's hair back behind her ear. Azula found the sensation strange. Mother always went to Zuko first. She looked over to Zuko and then back up to her. Maybe I can keep her to myself a few minutes longer..._

_"Zuko wouldn't play with me and so I wound up playing with these really mean kids!" Azula told her. _

_"What? Wait! No! That's not what!" Zuko stammered staring at his little sister in disbelief._

_"They pushed me over and Zuko just yelled and we started coming back!" Azula continued._

_"Zuko!" Mother looked over to him before looking back to Azula. She gathered the little girl in her arms. Azula was usually very standoffish with Mother but when she did find an excuse to be held like this...She started to smile until looking up at Zuko._

_His fists were clenched at his sides in anger. He let out a frustrated growl and stormed off. Azula felt a bit in her stomach watching him go. Zuko had stood up for her and she threw him under the cart the first chance she got. But the excuse to be held like this was worth it...right?_

* * *

Azula made her way through the village carrying a basket. Kaiza thought purchasing food might be a more suitable task for her skill set. She hadn't meant to burn that shelter down. Azula didn't want to know what was dropping behind that cow pig but the result had been accidently setting its shelter on fire.

She stood by a fruit stand while a small group of girls started giggling about a necklace set. Azula looked over to see the carefully beaded neckband with a large opal hanging from it. It was indeed pretty. She looked up to the group of girls. Normal girls were supposed to fawn over this sort of thing weren't they? Azula hated finding herself wishing Ty Lee were around so she could ask her.

"I don't know if I should get it though...The Opal is kind of bulky." The girl closest to it mused out loud. Judging from how they stood, she was the one in charge. So, get in league with the alpha and you're in. That seemed simple enough to Azula. She edged a bit closer.

"But it would be so pretty with your eyes!" Another girl answered.

"You're right it would...But wouldn't it be distracting?" The first girl asked, tilting her head to the side. Okay Azula. You can do this.

"I don't think so." Azula spoke up, turning to the girls. The 'Alpha' looked over to her.

"Who are you?" She raised an eyebrow. Azula could see one girl whispering to another.

"Ember." Azula introduced herself. "And I couldn't help but overhear your dilema. I should hardly think the weight would be that much of a concern."

This had the girl's attention.

"Go on."

"Well, that's a semi-precious stone. It has weight to it so that would suggest you've got strength. That will engender a sense of awe as everyone loves someone strong. But the opal is irredescent so it would also be just girly enough to not send people away."

"What are you talking about? The second girl spoke up. Azula held up her hand, pressing her forefinger and thumb together to tell her hold her tongue.

"I'm having a conversation with her. If you want to speak, you can wait until I'm done."

"She's fine. She's with me." The first girl spoke up. "She's right. What do you mean?"

"The last thing you would want is to be mistakened as helpless. I should hardly think someone wearing a stone that imposing would be seen as such. I used to wear something like that at formal events. It doubled as a weapon in some situations. That stone is large enough to knock out a sabertooth moose lion." Azula explained. The girl nodded slowly.

"Yeah. You're weird. We're gonna go now. Don't follow us." With that she turned and started to lead her friends to follow. Azula sighed.

What's so hard about talking to people?

**((Sorry that took so long. I let stuff discourage me that shouldn't have. I'm glad I finally came up with something passing as decent though. Hope you like it!))**


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